Theater: Last Chance to See Razorback!

Photo by John Perrin Flynn

Living in a city that's so dominated by the silver screen, it's easy to forget that Los Angeles is also home to some truly cutting-edge, if overlooked, theater performances. Tonight and tomorrow are your last chances to catch the final bow of a particularly entertaining effort.

Local playwright John Pollono's Razorback is running at the relatively new Rogue Machine Theater on Pico just west of La Brea, across the street from Roscoe's Chicken and Waffles and The Comedy Union. The lovingly designed set recreates a vacation home in Maine, where this very dark comedy unfolds in what is best described as The Sopranos crossed with Meet the Parents.

Deano Goretti, a reformed mafia heavy trying to disappear into the New England WASP life with a new wife and an Ivy League-educated son, is in the final stages of a battle with cancer when his criminal first son shows up at his doorstep, pregnant wife and mother in tow.

The ensuing family drama seems almost cinematic in its delivery, as Deano is forced to shift his concerns from trying to rediscover his long-dormant erection to coping with the ominous presence of his New York mob associates on his life, even living way out in the sticks.

The profanity-laced romp is very funny during its first half, before taking a decidedly dark turn in the second, but it remains entertaining throughout. If you haven't checked out a local play in a while, this is great one to help you get reacquainted with our upstart theater scene. You can always catch The Quantum of Solace on Sunday...

Razorback
at the Rogue Machine Theater
5041 Pico Boulevard
Los Angeles
(323) 960-7726
Friday and Saturday, 8pm
Tickets: $25